Mohammad Darwish, 23, pointed to a pile of trash and shredded clothing in the rubble, along with what appeared to be human bones.

Rescuers are now searching for survivors in the ruins, such as in the capital Mamoudzou, while trying to unblock roads and clear rubble and downed trees.

Photos shared by Vanuatu Police on Facebook showed rescuers sifting through rubble by hand and crawling under the floors of collapsed buildings.

While destroyed buildings and piles of rubble were a reminder of the not-so-distant war, renovated houses, recently opened shops and well-maintained roads were testament that some things had, indeed, improved.

“So people can’t go back to those cities. There’s nothing there. It’s just rubble.”